Different Personalities
by AddictedT0Sleep
Summary: What if their roles were switched? Naruto has Hinata's personality and Hinata has Naruto's personality. Starting from where Hinata gets saved by Naruto, except different. Depressing at first but will quickly turn funny (hopefully). Obviously NaruHina. Sorry for the bad summary.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Meeting The Troublemaker

'Demon spawn'

'A danger to the children'

'We should take revenge for those we lost'

'He shouldn't be alive right now'

'Why does the Hokage try to protect that stupid nuisance'

'I'm glad the orphanage finally kicked him out'

In the seven years of my life, I have been through more than a child should have. I've been ridiculed, slightly beaten up, ignored, thrown out of businesses, isolated, and been called every name in the book. I don't think I've ever had a friendly interaction with another person, save for my jiji. All of this abuse, makes one think about life, philosophy, people, morals, theology, you know the basics. And all of this led to me realizing one universal law about adults: they suck at whispering.

Why am I so mature and intelligent for a seven year old? Well it's quite simple really. When shit happens to you at my age, you tend to grow up too quickly.

I was walking through the streets of Konoha on a bright sunny day. Well, at least I think it was sunny based on how bright it was, I wouldn't know since I was staring at the ground the whole time. I had nowhere to be since I was too young for ninja academy and I had just been kicked out of the orphanage. So, I was just wandering around. I should have known the whispering and the pointed glares would be out in full force. And yet, I was stupid enough to walk straight into the fires of prejudice. I simply ducked my head and continued walking. Responding to them only made the problem worse. So I say nothing, they could get their frustration out, and the only thing that I have to deal with is the crippling depression.

I don't even know why they do this to me. What makes me so different from everyone else? My throat constricts and a dark pit forms in my stomach. This line of thought always turns for the worst and this time was no different. Was it the fact that I have no parents? No one to love me unconditionally? Was it because I'm not good enough? Was it that I'm not strong enough? Was it the fact that it's just easy to pick on someone who never fights back? Or even worse, is it because I'm just unlovable? Did I do something to become unlovable? The villagers seem to think I did something, so maybe it is my fault?

I feel a slight pull in my stomach and a warm stinging sensation in my eyes are the proof of the threat of tears forming in my eyes. I force it back through some sort of miracle, and wipe my eyes for any stray tears with my dirty shirt sleeve. I look up to see that my feet took me to the Academy and am happy to see the lack of adults surrounding me. This means I don't have to squirm under the judging looks of the adults.

A small smile threatens to find its way on my face, only for that feeling of happiness to fade away as quickly as it came. Every time I become the slightest bit happy, I am unable to feel any positive emotions. I can't be happy, not when I have no friends to share that feeling with. God, I'm screwed up, I can't even be happy for more than a second.

But hey, it could be worse. I could be a stuck up prick.

As I walk, I stare at the clear sky. I like to do that because it is the same color of my eyes and I seem to get lost in the color blue. Which happened this time as well. I got lost in thought staring at the blue sky. I was mainly thinking about my parents. I knew next to nothing about them, but I always imagined that at least one of them had blue eyes, hence my thinking of them when I see a clear blue sky.

Well, it turns out that walking and not paying attention to where I was going was a poor move. I ran into a solid object and got sent back flying, only to land on the ground in a painful heap. I rubbed the back of my head in pain. It was a dull throb that made it hard to think for a few seconds. My vision was blurry and I couldn't really see what I had run into. I rubbed my eyes as my vision and cognitive ability gradually returned.

From the ground, I looked up to see three boys that looked to be about two years older than me. They were a lot bigger than my tiny frame. I seemed to shrink under their dominating forms. They looked down upon me with scowls on their face, apparently displeased that I had run into them. They had ugly, snot-nosed faces and black beady eyes filled with hate that made me cringe as I realized that they looked exactly like the people that would beat me up once in a while. They were bullies who liked to prey on the weak. And I just so happened to be the weak person in front of them.

The one in the center who I assume that I had ran into, looked to his counterparts and grinned. "Oh, look we have a little brat here that doesn't know where he's going."

The boy to the right grinned as well, "And he doesn't even say sorry either."

"Yeah demon boy, apologize to us. And while you're at it, why not just apologize for existing." The boy on the left said with his own grin.

They towered over my tiny form as they spit their insults at me. I was tired of this bull crap. They think they can throw insults at me just for fun. They insult me for things I don't even remember doing. How dare they!? How dare they treat me like this!? Anger and a feeling of rebellion boiled up inside of me and I glared at the bullies towering over me.

But, as quickly as anger filled me, my courage left me and a feeling of fear filled me. I averted my eyes and stared at the ground. It was always quicker this way anyway, just act submissive and they'll get bored of me quickly.

In barely a whisper, I apologize, "I'm sorry."

The bully to the left put a hand up to his ear, "I didn't hear that", he glanced to his cohorts , "Did you hear that?"

The boy to the right shook his head, "Why, I think I heard the annoying buzzing of a bug."

"I said I'm sorry", I said in a little bit louder voice. I still refused to look at them in the eyes, opting to look at their bodies or the ground instead.

The boy in the center roughly grabbed my shirt and pulled me up off the ground. He brought me up to eye level with him, leaving my legs dangling in the air. Fear coursed through my veins as I prepared for another beat down.

"Excuse me? You are what?" He said glaring at me straight into my eyes. I flinched at the anger directed at me.

"Sorry", I say in an even smaller voice than last time.

"For what?"

"Bumping into you", I say.

He just shook his head, "He still doesn't get it." He looks at his two companions and makes a motion for them. "Hold his arms while I teach him a lesson."

His two companions roughly grab my wrists so tightly that I fear I'm going to have bruises there the next morning. The bully sets me down and I almost breathe a sigh of relief at my feet being on solid ground. I say almost because I was prevented to by having the breath knocked out of me by a swift knee to the gut.

I double over and wish to fall on my knees, but am prevented by the two hooligans holding me up. Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain in my nose as I get kneed again in the face. A warm sensation trails down my nose, over my closed lips and down my chin. I realize it is blood by the red spots on the grass below me.

"I'm sorry", I say wheeze out in a nasally voice.

The response is a punch in the gut, as the breath is knocked out of me again. I look at the bully to see a cruel smile adorning his face. He's clearly enjoying this, they always do.

"I'm sorry"

He kicks me in my most sensitive area and the pain is overwhelming. I wanted to scream, but the pain overshadowed all of the thoughts in my mind.

"I'm sorry", I say pleadingly, wanting this torture to end.

He punches me in the jaw and I see a tooth flies out of my mouth and into the grass below me. Now, warm blood was pouring out of my mouth as well. Black formed at the edges of my sight and I could feel the grip on my consciousness slowly fading.

"I'm sorry"

He gives an almost imperceptible nod to his friends and he shoves my head into the ground. A clump of dirt gets into my mouth and I have to spit it out along with some blood/spit mixture.

I can't see his head but by the tone of his voice, I know that he is grinning sadistically, "Now, what are you sorry for?"

I gulp. I know what he's looking for but, I don't want to give it to him. It would mean that he won, that his actions had broken me. But, that's the thing. The pain, the humiliation, the fact that I am bowing to this slime, the loneliness, all of it broke him. I have no reason to live. Jiji wants me to be a ninja, but that isn't what I have ever dreamed to do. I didn't dream to do anything really. I just went from pain to loneliness, to numbness. Am I really being honest if I say I don't regret every day of my life?

And I just want this pain and suffering to end. I want him to stop. Morals and spite be damned.

I take a shaky breathe and try to end my suffering, "I'm sorry for even exis-"

"Don't you DARE finish that sentence!" I was interrupted by a young girl's high pitched voice.

The three stooges turn their head to see the newcomer. Seeing as I was still held down, I couldn't see who she was. Although, I could see the fear in the eyes of the three boys holding me down.

"Now let him go, or I'll open up a can of whoop ass on you", she said in a deceptively joyful tone. I recognize this voice, but I'm not sure from where.

If they weren't such jerks, I might feel sorry for them. From what it sounds like, this girl could actually follow through on her promise.

I feel the pressure on my arms and head soften and eventually disappear. I was free from their clutches and this time, I actually breathed a sigh of relief. I remained in my position though, I was too tired and in pain to even move a single muscle.

"Now leave or else I'll tell the whole village all of your secrets", she threatened.

"You're bluffing, you couldn't possibly know about that." One of the bullies replied, but didn't sound so sure of himself.

"Oh am I now?" The girl laughed. It was a beautiful laugh, one full of happiness and playfulness, "I do remember a story that involved chocolate milk and a bathroom."

"You wouldn't dare", the boy hissed.

"You sure about that? You know who I am right? You should know what I am willing to do and not do."

The boy sighed, "Come on guys, let's go. We're out of our league here."

I could hear their footsteps get farther and farther away from me. Once I gained enough energy, I attempted to get up and failed miserably. I may or may not have fallen into even more of a mess than my original position.

A small pale hand entered my vision and I grabbed it. With a strength that I didn't know was even possible for a little girl, I was lifted up from my mess. Not for one moment did I look up from the ground.

I slowly patted off the dirt from my clothes, not that it really helped. Then, I used my shirt to wipe off as much blood from my face as possible. When I was done licking my wounds, I still refused to look up from the ground.

I felt a small, delicate hand find its way to my chin and lift up my head to meet the gaze of its owner. My eyes were met with beautiful white eyes that contained a playfulness to them. The girl who owned these eyes looked to be about his age and very tiny. She was just as small as me, and I was malnourished. Although, I think she's just like that. Her pale skin gave her the image of nobility but the warm smile seemed to detract from that image. Her short, dark blue hair contained twigs and leaves tangled inside of it, mostly from tree climbing. That also detracted from the image of stuck up royalty that her clan was known for.

This was my hero. Heroine? Or is it hero? No, it's most definitely heroine.

I don't really care what she's called. She ended my suffering and that's all that matters. It was just like her too. She always did hate bullying with a passion.

That's right. I know who my savior is.

The girl who is still gently touching my chin and staring into my eyes with a warmth that I am unused to receiving, is none other than Hinata Hyuuga, the resident troublemaker of Konoha and the black sheep of the Hyuuga clan.

Chapter 1 finish

A/N: this idea popped into my head and I had to write it down. This'll definitely be more than two chapters, but I'm not sure, we'll see. This chapter and the beginning of the next are the only ones being slightly depressing, the rest is meant to be fairly humorous. A Naruto acting like a shy Hinata and a bold, oblivious Hinata sets up for entertaining situations. Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2: Swings Makes Friends

Chapter 2: Swings Make Friends

 _The girl who is still gently touching my chin and staring into my eyes with a warmth that I am unused to receiving, is none other than Hinata Hyuuga, the resident troublemaker of Konoha and the black sheep of the Hyuuga clan._

She was staring at me for what felt like eons, as if she was studying my face. It made feel self-conscious and any thoughts of thanking her died in my throat. Naturally, an incredibly awkward silence ensued.

Two conflicting thoughts swirled through my head at this moment.

First , I was incredibly grateful for getting rid of those bullies and stopping them from causing me to say something irreversible. Few people actually stood up for me, especially my age. Most people either antagonized me or just did not care about my existence. Few people cared about me. And so, her standing up for me meant a lot, so it felt like gratitude was radiating throughout my inner being.

My other thought was a lot less dignified: Oh my god, she's touching me. She's so close and I'm staring right into her eyes. I just want to die of embarrassment. Please god, just let me go curl up in a ball and die. And she's still touching me.

Now, having no family and friends, very few times have I been touched by another person in a non-negative way. So, this situation leaves me very uncomfortable. I don't dislike it, I'm just uncomfortable.

I could feel my face heat up at the contact and I hoped to all that is good that I wasn't blushing too much. However, I knew that endeavor was hopeless, as I could just tell that I would give a tomato a run for its money.

After what felt like years, or really just a minute of awkward silence, HInata seemed to unfreeze and jumped up into the air with a large smile, grabbed my hand, and ran. She dragged me along with her, I say dragged because I was still hurting and sore. She took me along with her, and led me to the streets where people went about their daily business.

As we ran, or in my case got dragged, HInata led me through a maze of people, in order to navigate through the traffic. Every time that we bumped into someone, she would just flash a bright, mischievous smile and offer an apology. Though, most of the time we were already too far away from them to hear her.

I just kept my head down and stared at the ground and crowd of legs ahead of me. I just hoped that none of the adults would recognize me and antagonize her for being seen with me. She didn't deserve that, she had already done so much for me. I looked up and saw that I was wrong and many of the adults sent disapproving looks our way.

Eventually, we escaped from the throngs of people in the street by turning off into a park. It was a small park that contained a small play set, some trees, a trail, and most importantly of all void of people. HInata suddenly stopped, and I ran into her, only for me to fall promptly fall on my buttocks.

I winced at the pain and looked up to see HInata's eyes flash in worry, "Oh my god, I'm sorry are you okay?"

Her pretty white eyes were full of concern, and her eyebrows furrowed in worry. It made for a really cute picture, but I would never dare say that aloud. It seemed like she actually did regret causing me to fall, as opposed to when she bumped into the adults.

Again, it seemed like a cat got my tongue and I was unable to do anything but simply nod. Hinata smiled in relief and held out her hand to lift me up. I was hesitant to take it, but I knew that I would be unable to get up without her help. I took her hand, and she helped me up, although I had to fight a blush the whole time.

Without letting go of my hand, she dragged me to the play set and made me sit on a set of swings. Curiously, she let go of my hand and went behind me. What could she possibly want to do behind me? I raised my eyebrow in confusion before feeling the pressure of two hands on my back. I was lifted into the air by a few inches and flew back, only to feel the pressure of two hands again to push me forward, only a little bit higher this time. This process continued until I was getting a few feet in the air and I did something I hadn't done in a long time.

I laughed.

It wasn't fake and I didn't force myself. I laughed out of pure enjoyment of being pushed on a swing set. Now, I had been on a swing set before, alone of course. But, the enjoyment gained from that is nothing compared to being there with someone and being taken to new heights because of them. It was freeing, to know that someone else was there, playing with me. I was used to watching other kids enjoy childhood games, but now, now I was able to be a part of one, and I couldn't be happier.

I stopped feeling the pressure on my back and I looked to the left. Sitting on the other swing was HInata going back and forth as well. She was laughing along with me, enjoying her time just as much or more than I was.

After a few minutes of swinging, we both let our swings lose their energy so that we were just sitting on the swings with our feet dangling above the ground. A smile was on both of our faces, as our eyes met. Joy was the dominant emotion portrayed in those white eyes, and I'm sure they were present in mine as well.

I could feel my face heat up again and I looked away to try to hide the impending blush that was sure to appear on my face.

Oh geez, why did this keep happening around her?

"My name is HInata by the way", she said to me.

You know, you'd think she would have said that before she dragged me all over the streets of Konoha.

Again, all the words that I wanted to say died in my throat. However, in a small voice that was barely a whisper, I managed to choke out, "I-I know."

I looked back to her to see her smirking, "I see that my fame and reputation precedes me", she pumped her fist, "Score one for me."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Of course I would know the name of one of the few people that don't glare at me. Especially, a cute girl like you. But, of course I can't say that to her, I'm already dying of embarrassment as it is.

She cocked her head, eyes brimming with curiosity, "So, what's your name?"

"Uh", I choke out. God, why can't I freaking talk to her? Just calm down. Breathe in, breathe out. Okay good, now calmly say my name.

"N-Naruto"

It wasn't very calm and it was barely above a whisper, but it did the job apparently since Hinata gave a small nod.

"Well Naruto", she said, scratching the back of her head as some sort of embarrassed tick. She spoke sounding somewhat remorseful, "Sorry for dragging you around like that, but Ko was about to find me and I didn't want to just leave you."

I gave her a questioning look, why wouldn't she want to leave me? She had done enough for me by just saving me from the bullies. She managed to save me without even lifting a finger, what is she apologizing for?

Apparently she misunderstood my questioning look, "Oh my bad, you probably don't know about Ko. He's my guardian and well, he can be kind of a stick in the mud. He's always going on and on about how a proper lady shouldn't do this or do that. So, sometimes I pull pranks just to mess with him and the rest of my families", she was speaking about a mile a minute and I could barely keep up with what she said. Suddenly, a spark ignited in her eyes, "But today, I managed to get them especially good. I replaced all of the shampoo in the showers of the compound with bacon flavored scented shampoo. Then, I opened the kennels in the Inuzuka compound and let the magic happen. By the time that Ko managed to get the dogs away from him, I was already on the run and he's probably still looking for me."

I simply nodded with wide eyes as I looked at the trees in the park. I was amazed by both the speed at which she spoke and the pure insanity that was HInata Hyuuga. I was astounded not only that she could come up with a plan as crazy as that, but that she was brave enough, or crazy enough, to do it. I broke out into a small smile at seeing how excited and worked up she was about her prank, it was quite cute actually.

"So Naruto, how was swinging on a swing?"

I turned back to Hinata and saw that she was leaning across the chains and was really close to me. I felt my face heat up almost instantly and looked away so fast that it probably gave me whiplash.

God, this little girl was going to be the death of me. Didn't she know the term 'personal space'?

"It was f-fun. I've never been on the swings with someone else before." I choked out, as I poked my index fingers into each other.

I glanced over to see Hinata smiling widely, "That's good, I've seen you sitting on the swings before alone, and figured that it would be more fun with someone else. There's just something about swinging with friends that feels so-"

"Free", I interrupted without even thinking. Where did that come from?

Hinata also appeared surprised by my outburst. Although, if I had to guess, it was probably due to the fact that I had talked without being asked a direct question.

After recovering from her shock, she nodded vigorously, "Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say! There's just something about doing things with friends that makes everything like a bajillion times better." She spread her arms wide to emphasize her point.

I looked down, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. I've never had a friend. I usually just get ignored by people my age. I don't know why, I just do. I tend to think it has to do with my passive personality, but I would've thought that I would have at least one friend if that was the case. If I had a friend, I might know why I keep getting avoided by others.

It's moments like these when I feel the loneliness even more. I get the taste of what a friendship might taste like, and then it inevitably gets pulled away from me and I get forced to starve.

I look over at HInata, who has so much energy that she keeps on tapping on her leg and fidgeting, and wonder what it would be like to be her friend. I'm pretty sure it would be a rollercoaster: filled with adventure, and because of who I am, fear, but most of all excitement. She would protect her friends, in the same way that she protected me. She wouldn't let anyone touch a finger on her friends' heads.

Man, the things I would give in order to be her friend.

Suddenly, I felt a presence approaching the park and saw the silhouette of a young man approach the entrance. Strangely enough, I also smelled a distinct scent of bacon.

I looked over at Hinata and saw that her demeanor had shifted. She was no longer joyful and bursting with energy. Her small shoulders were slumped, her eyebrows furrowed, and a frown appeared on her face. She got up from her swing and jumped up to one of the trees on the border of the park. She was kneeling on one of the larger tree branches and looked about ready to jump away from the park, before she turned around.

Her eyes met mine and she smiled widely before she yelled loudly, "I'll see you around, Naruto. I'm glad I made a new friend today."

She turned around and jumped from the branch and disappeared from the park into another section of Konoha, leaving me dumbfounded still sitting on the swing.

Wait, friend?

Chapter 2 finish

A/N: So, it was pointed out to me that for the bully scene, I used the scene from episode 166 of Shippuden as a loose inspiration, when apparently, the scene from the movie is slightly different and considered canon. My bad. I don't think it detracts from the story and I don't feel like changing a lot of things in the story, but I'll have to change the summary. I'm sorry about the major tone shift, but I didn't want to make a dark fic to begin with, and only wanted it to serve as a sort of juxtaposition, I guess. I hope you enjoyed the story, and if you see any major plot holes or blatantly messed up characterization or if I'm overdoing the whole embarrassment part please let me know. I also wouldn't mind if you tell me if you liked the story, but I'm not really picky.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: All The Best Friends Are Made In an Alleyway

A shaky breath escapes my lips as I try to reign in my rapidly pounding heart. I'm sweating profusely despite my recent shower. The crowded shopping district feels stifling, to the point where it is a struggle to breathe. My eyes keep darting back and forth, taking in all of my surroundings like a hunted animal.

My eyes find the many faces of the early morning crowd going about their daily business. Civilian wives were buying and window shopping on the Monday morning. Their husbands and grown up sons headed off to start off the work week. Several Shinobi walked through the crowd with the grace that befits their station, their shining hitaite glittering in the morning sun. Most were probably going to or from training.

I even spot several families walking together, undoubtedly with the same destination in mind as me.

It's the first day of Ninja Academy.

I notice a family with fang-like marks on their cheeks, their loud and boisterous family banter carries through the street. Most likely the Inuzuka's escorting their family's heir.

I notice another group making their way through the crowd. At the forefront is a group of three men, one, a large man with bright red spiky hair, another a thin man with a goatee, a scar above and below his right eye and pineapple shaped hair, the final man had green eyes and long platinum colored hair. What had to be their children followed slightly behind, walking at a leisurely pace. They had to have been the current InoShikaCho team and their offspring.

A group of people walked close together, all wearing long coats and dark sunglasses. Their faces were covered by their upturned collars. Most likely the Aburame's, the bug user clan.

Oddly enough, I spot a girl with pink hair. Her hair and bright red outfit made her stick out from the crowd. Her family seemed to be chatting contentedly as they walked with the stream of the crowd.

I see all of these people walking along with the crowd towards our destination. However, there were two groups of people that seemed to part the crowd with their mere presence. I can only see the identities of one at my current position. Being short does have its disadvantages. The one that I can see is a mother and father, a teenage son and a son my age. They all have black hair and eyes, their clothes all have a symbol of a fan on the back. The symbol is a dead giveaway that the family parting the crowd is the Uchiha.

I weave my way through the legs of commuters, ignoring the hisses of anger and distaste thrown my way. I am only able to see the top of the heads of two men in the group. They possess long black hair. In order to satisfy my curiosity, I keep pushing and shoving and weaving through the crowd in order to get a view of who they were.

All of a sudden however, the presence of the people around me seemed to disappear and I looked around to find that the crowd around me had parted. I turn around to find the group that I was following is stopped in front of me. It turns out that I had gotten in their way.

The realization of this fact made me want to pull up the hood of the jacket I'm wearing even more in order to hide my face.

My jacket was given to me by my jiji as a present for today. It is a zip up gray and white jacket with a hood and pockets in it. I love it because it lets me hide from the gazes of those around me, or at least I can pretend that it does.

My eyes meet with the tallest man in the four person group. He carries the grace and poise of a noble family. His pale skin adds to the image of nobility. His white eyes are set hard at the sight of me and his lips are pulled back into a snarl.

I quickly avert my eyes, but not before I see the child that he is carrying. The child also possesses those famous white eyes, however instead of hard, these eyes are full of wonder and amazement at the sights and sounds of her surroundings. The child can't be much more than three years old.

Next, my eyes meet with the slightly shorter male. He also carries the grace and poise that is famous of the Hyuuga clan. He is however, obviously in his demeanor subservient to the other man but is extremely protective over the last member of the group.

Hinata.

Her short blue hair is blowing slightly in the breeze of the day. Her small frame gives off a petite first impression, however I know that if she wanted to that she could kick my butt. Her mesmerizing white eyes gain a spark of light when she meets my eyes.

However, for some reason, I find it harder to meet her eyes than it is for everyone else. So instead, I look at her mouth which is slowly upturning into a bright smile.

I wish that she would always show me that smile.

That thought has my cheeks burning in embarrassment and I quickly look at the ground.

"Hey Naruto what's up?"

I hear the question that she asks me, however my brain decides to shut down at this moment. I can't think and I can tell that I look like a floundering red fish.

I feel a strong drive to run away and hide in a corner.

I look up to see Hinata. She has her head cocked in confusion, most likely prompting me to answer her question. Whatever it was. It made for an adorable picture, so adorable that my blush grew brighter.

The drive to run away from the situation becomes overwhelming.

"Narut-"

"Sorry, gotta go, bye"

At least that's what I think I say, as I cut her off. I wasn't even at the end when I was twenty feet away.

I missed however, as I would one day find out, the confused expression of HInata Hyuuga, the disapproving expression of Hiashi Hyuuga, and the slightly amused expression of Ko Hyuuga.

I don't think I have ever ran and weaved through a crowd as fast as I am going at the moment. I see an opportunity to hide away in an alleyway and I take it by turning a sharp right.

Suddenly, I stop and lean against a wall inside the alleyway. My heart is pounding from the short run I just did, at least that's what I tell myself. I can feel my face still warm from the blush and am immensely grateful at the fact that this alley is abandoned save for myself. I sit down, close my eyes and just lose myself to the sounds and sensations of the morning.

I can still hear the morning bustle of the morning commuters, but as time moves on and I gain relative sanity back, I can tell from the lack of noise that the morning rush has mostly subsided.

I open my eyes and stand up to head out to my destination. I turn to where I came from and am surprised to see a person standing at the entrance of the alley from where I had entered.

It was a boy slightly taller than me. He was wearing a long jacket that covered up the bottom half of his face. His eyes were concealed by dark sunglasses. He had long spiky black hair.

If I remember correctly, he was the quiet center of the group of Aburame's.

He was staring very intently at me. It was incredibly unnerving and I did my best to try to avoid his gaze by staring at the ground or at the wall.

Naturally, an awkward silence ensued and it took all I had not to squirm. As it was, I couldn't help but poke my fingers together. It was my nervous tic and I couldn't help but do it in awkward situations like these.

"You are intriguing", He says in a monotone voice, dispelling the silence.

I, however, am not sure how to take this. His words seem like a compliment, but his tone, inflection, and general formalness are an odd combination for a kid. I'm not sure if he means what he says, especially since I just made a fool of myself. Maybe he's making fun of me and I'm just a joke to him. I can't say I blame him, I am pretty pitiful.

"Thanks?"

He just nods, and continues in his monotone voice, "Indeed, you are a conundrum to me."

I bite my lip and wince, just waiting for the ridicule I'll probably receive. Anytime someone talks to me, minus Hinata, it turns out to be ridicule and I don't see how this time would be any different. I'm just meant to be the target after all. I'm pretty useless and awkward and probably deserve it anyway.

Deserving it doesn't seem to make the punishment of ridicule and loneliness any easier though.

Hesitantly, I nod my head to prompt him to continue. I still have my vision locked right on the ground in front of me.

"Yes well, you are an enigma. The villagers seem to hold disdain for you, however I have yet to ascertain a logical reason for such an attitude. It simply does not make sense."

I simply shrug, "I probably did something to deserve it."

Out of the corner of my eye I see that he shakes his head once, as if he doesn't believe it, "That doesn't make any logical sense either. If you had done something to warrant the entire village's ire, then you would certainly have recollection of your apparent transgression."

I nod slowly in agreement. I didn't understand some of what he said, but the gist of it seemed to make sense.

He continued on in his still monotone voice, "Furthermore, I have been watching your behavior recently and have found no legitimate reason for any antagonistic attitude towards you. If anything you are", he pauses as if thinking of what he wanted to say, "a cordial individual, albeit shy."

"Thanks?", I say, not totally sure whether to take that as a compliment. Apparently it is, because he grunts an affirmative.

"Therefore, in order to solve this conundrum, I have decided to often remain in your company. I will accompany you to and from the Academy. I will endeavor to sit near you and spend my breaks with you. All with your permission of course" He says this in his monotone, however the last sentence was said with a questioning tone. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that it was almost nervous in tone.

I certainly was not expecting the conversation to turn this way at all. This Aburame kid is certainly a peculiar character, I have never met anyone this young to speak so oddly. But despite my earlier reservations, I really enjoy this conversation, even if I haven't really said more than a few words. And I don't think so because someone like me doesn't deserve this, but…

"Are you asking to be my friend?"

I blurt out the question without thinking and wince in anticipation of the inevitable scoff or ridicule that will come out of the other young boy's mouth.

I look up however, to see a confused look on the boy's face.

"I am unfamiliar with the standard practices of companionship, however, I would not be against such a proposition."

I can't help but smile at the way that things have progressed in just a few short minutes. For a boy that hasn't managed to get a single friend in his whole life, I sure did manage to get two really fast.

This thought however, made me pause.

"But wait a second, I don't even know your name."

I couldn't see the bottom of his face, but I swear that he was smiling when he said, "Shino, it's Aburame Shino."

I can't help but flash a smile.

"Shino-san, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto."

Chapter 3 end

A/N: Sorry it's short, but heck I was gonna abandon this story until reviews from a guest and NaruHinaF made me decide to try my hand at this again. I'm trying some things out so, I'm not sure if it's any better or not, but oh well. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of Naruto w/ Hinata personality that I want to build, open to suggestions. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Badassery of An Aburame

"We must leave momentarily if we desire to not be tardy on the inaugural day of our studies." Shino states as he turns around and walks toward the now mostly empty street.

I stand there dumbfounded at the pure oddity of the situation. I met this boy for only a few minutes and he already asked to be my friend. Well, not explicitly, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. Maybe?

I mean, he asked for permission to be around me, sit next to me, walk with me to school, and spend his breaks with me. I'm pretty sure that's what the friends that I see do.

But what if he doesn't actually want to be friends? What if I just read too much into it? What if Shino is simply curious and doesn't actually want to be friends? He did just meet me after all, he doesn't know me. If he did, he certainly wouldn't want to be a friend of the 'Demon Spawn', whatever that means. After all, nobody else wants to be my friend, so what makes him different?

"I really do not desire to be tardy, Naruto-san. Furthermore, I do not wish to abandon a companion in an alleyway. As such, I entreat you to accompany me to the academy."

I'm broken out of my thoughts by Shino's monotone voice addressing me. I see Shino out on the street looking at me expectantly.

Ah, this is why he's different.

He looks at me. He doesn't turn his eyes away from me in order to ignore my very existence. At the same time, he looks at me as a fellow human being, not someone whose existence is a stain upon creation. He looks at me, and sees another person.

This is why he's different from every other person in this village. This is why I should put my trust in him and become his friend.

I run over to meet Shino and the two of us start making our way to the Academy, a slight smile on my face.

"Sorry for the wait Shino-san." I say in a small voice.

"Apology acknowledged and accepted, Naruto-san."

I can't help but keep smiling as we walk. A comfortable silence ensues on our journey. One which I am thankful for. I appreciate that Shino doesn't seem to feel obligated to fill every moment of blissful silence with forced conversation.

I begin to see that forming a friendship with the quiet Aburame will be easier than I first thought and feared. Shino and I despite not being socially adept, seem to both enjoy silence. Not only that, but Shino, despite his odd way of speaking, seems to be caring and loyal. His willingness to wait for me indicative of his possession of those traits. He also does not seem to mind my always awkward self.

I become incredibly thankful for Shino going out of his way to become my friend in the alley.

"Hey, Shino-san?" I ask, uncertainty obviously laced in my voice. My question is very presumptuous and I can't help but be afraid that I will make him mad.

"Yes?"

"Did you leave your family in order to talk to me?" I ask in a barely audible voice.

It was apparently enough for Shino to hear, since he stopped walking and paused in the middle of the street. It makes me nervous, as I wait to hear his outrage that I would be so arrogant to think that would be worth it to go out of his way to talk to. From what I have gathered, Shino is a very logical and patient person, but everyone has a limit and I fear that I have passed it.

It seemed that he figured out his response and I feel like I will combust from nervousness. In his monotone voice he states simply, "Yes."

"Why? Isn't it a big deal for families to accompany their child for the first day of Academy?"

Before I can even think, the words fall out of my mouth. It seems that this whole 'speaking before I carefully think' thing is getting more common around Shino. It makes me wince because not only was it stupid of me to question his actions, but even I could hear the vulnerability in my voice.

"I have previously stated that I have observed both you and the villagers for quite some time. At some point, I resolved to introduce the proposition to you. I wished to speak with you without the obstructive interference of any other. I had witnessed your escape from the encounter with the Hyuuga heiress and deigned this situation to be optimal."

I blush slightly at the reminder of that whole fiasco.

"Therefore, I informed my family of my intentions and instructed them to proceed without me. They will be awaiting me at the gate to the Academy."

I become disbelieving of this, "And they were okay with this?"

Shino nodded, "Once I explained the situation, my family seemed to be supportive of my intentions. I do not know why, but my father especially seemed enthusiastic about the idea."

His tone at the end conveyed exactly how confused he was about the odd behavior of his father. Shino shook his head slightly, "I will ponder that upon a later date, but anyway, that is my reasoning. Are you satisfied with that, Naruto-san?"

I nod my head, not wanting to come across as interrogating him or untrusting. Once again we continue walking.

Thoughts of the Aburame's come to my mind as we walk. I can't remember ever seeing them look upon me with disdain or outright ignore me. The few times that I have interacted with the clan head of the Aburame, I could have sworn that he looked upon me with something akin to warmth, but one can never tell with their almost emotionless masks.

People say that the Aburame's have no feelings, but Shino is a testament that those people are wrong. I can start to hear the unsaid and subtle emotions hiding in Shino's voice when I listen closely. Especially when talking of his family, Shino's monotone voice may seem cold and distant, but I can just barely hear the traces of pride in his voice.

In very little time, I am brought from my thoughts by the realization that we are almost at the gates to the Academy. I could see the families of the now first year academy students all making their way out from the gates of the Academy. After dropping off their family member, they were getting back to their day to day lives, whether it be to training, to work, or to home.

One family, however, remained where they were. Outside of the gate, a man and a woman were waiting there. They both wore large jackets that covered the bottom part of their faces. It was easy to tell their resemblance to Shino.

His father had long spiky hair, dark sunglasses and a seemingly emotionless face, just like Shino. He was very tall and seemed to tower over the young kids. His mother also looked similar to Shino, but, while his father was almost a carbon copy of an older Shino, there were numerous differences between him and his mother. They shared the same nose shape and both had very wiry frames, however she differed in that her emotions showed just a little bit more freely on her face.

Upon approaching the two, a look of happiness flashed on Shino's mother's face as she noticed the children. While I couldn't see her mouth, the way that her cheeks moved up was indicative of the small smile hidden behind her coat collar.

Shino and I stopped in front of his parents and he gestured toward me, "Mother, Father, this Uzumaki Naruto, he is my friend now." Shino said. He said the word cautiously though, as if it was unfamiliar on his tongue.

This caused Shino's father's eyebrows to rise slightly in surprise. He did not seem disappointed though, as I expected him to be.

"A pleasure to meet you, Uzumaki-san. I am the father of your companion Shino, as you are aware. I am given the name Aburame Shibi and this is my wife, Aburame Shinko."

She nodded towards me, "Nice to meet you Uzumaki-san." I could have sworn she was smiling when she said, "Our son has told us much about you."

I look over to Shino and saw a small tinge of red painting his cheeks. I smile slightly at the bit of emotion that he showed openly to his family. I wonder if this is what it is like to have a family.

I look back to Shino's father to see his hand outstretched towards me. I can't tell why he would do that though. He keeps looking at me expectantly and I can't figure out for the life of me what he wants me to do. Does he want me to hit it? Am I supposed to do the same thing? Or am I supposed to keep standing here? Is there some sort of clan ritual that I am unaware of?

I look over to Shino desperately looking for some sort of support from him.

"My father is requesting you to partake in a handshake with him." Shino said in his monotone voice, but I could hear the confusion in his voice.

At this, I realize what I was supposed to do. Hesitantly, I reach up and shake Shino's father's hand. I had never been involved in a handshake before and never understood when and how one was initiated. But now, it only makes sense that a handshake was what the elder Aburame was requesting.

However, I think that my handshake was not firm enough, but I don't even know for sure.

God, could I be any more socially inept?

"N-nice t-to meet you Aburame-san." I stuttered out.

Despite his cool, almost professional vibe, Aburame Shibi's hand was warm and friendly. It was kind of an unexpected contrast.

Then Shino's mother raised her hand up for a handshake and this time I only hesitate slightly. Lke her husband, Aburame Shinko's hand was warm but almost delicate. It was weird, this is one of the few times that I have had real human physical contact. I found that I actually kind of liked it.

We let go and Shino's mother gestured to the building. "Come on kids, you're already late, we'll escort you to your teacher."

Shino and I nodded and followed as his father and mother led us through the gate. A comfortable silence ensued as they made their way through the small courtyard leading up to the front doors of the Academy. The entire trip to the classroom was quiet save for the sound of feet hitting wooden floors. Shino's parents stopped in front of a room that said "1-1" above the door.

They opened the door that revealed a nearly full classroom and a teacher that was standing in the front.

The teacher was an average young man of Konoha. He was medium height, had tan skin, and long dark hair that was tied up. The only distinguishing feature of the man was a long scar that was present across the bridge of his nose.

The group of four entered the classroom and stood side by side. Shino's father cleared his throat, causing the teacher to pause the roll call that he was taking.

He looked over at Shino's father and smiled, "Ah, Aburame-san, What can I do for you?" He asked in a pleasant tone that was way too cheery to be genuine. I could tell even his smile was forced.

"It seems that my family and I became caught up in pleasantries with Uzumaki-san on our expedition to the school and didn't allocate our time properly. I apologize for their tardiness, the fault was mine."

My eyes widen at Shino's father trying to take the blame and was about to tell the truth when I saw Shino look at me and shake his head.

"It is quite alright Aburame-san. Shino-kun, sit wherever there is a free spot. Please call me Iruka-sensei"

Seeing that their job was done, Shino's parents turned and made their way to the door of the classroom.

Seeing that their backs were turned, the teacher locked onto my eyes and I looked down at the ground, but not before I saw his eyes flash with unmistakable disdain.

"Uzumaki-san, why are you late?" He asks coldly.

"B-but" I start, but looking back up at Iruka-sensei and his unconcealed hate, I lose all confidence. "I'm s-sorry."

"No excuse." The teacher says harshly, "Now, get out of my classroom for being late." Iruka-sensei suddenly got much closer to me and leaned down. His adult height was imposing to me and fear filled my body. He whispered in my ear, "That's what you get, demo-"

He had yet to finish when he was interrupted by a sudden drop in temperature in the room. A feeling of death and cold anger chilled my bones, a feeling of dread much worse than Iruka-sensei filled me.

I turn around to see Shino's father standing in the doorway, his demeanor cold. I'm pretty sure if you could see his face, you would see a frown and cold, hard eyes. This was not Aburame Shibi, the loving and odd parent, no, this was Aburame Shibi the deadly shinobi.

Aburame Shibi did not yell, his calm, monotone voice caused shivers of fear run down the spines of everyone present in the classroom.

"Iruka-sensei, surely you would not endanger your teaching position by infringing upon the law set forth by the Hokage. And, if you happen to be doing that, I find your actions to be most illogical. Surely you must know that the kunai is not the sealing scroll, nor is the container the same thing as what is contained. If you continue to ignorantly misplace your hate, then I might have to", He paused at this point to glare pointedly at the teacher, "enlighten you about your mistakes more thoroughly."

I don't know exactly what is going on, but I can see Iruka-sensei turn white fast and simply nod. He looks at me and says in a weak voice, "Nice to meet you Naruto-kun, go find an empty seat."

The elder Aburame nodded and said, "good." with a tone of finality and turned to leave the classroom for good this time.

The scary, cold feeling left as soon as he did and I couldn't help breathe a sigh of relief. Shino's dad can be damn scary when he wants.

I find myself to be the attention of the whole class and I can't help but hide deeper inside my jacket as I make my way to find a seat.

I see Hinata with an open seat next to her. She gestures for me to join her, as she is practically jumping in her seat. She looks at me with those wide, white eyes so full of happiness and life and I can't help but blush.

Suddenly, I hear a strange, high pitched 'eep' sound, as I hide deeper in my jacket and run to the back of the classroom and find an empty seat next to Shino.

It's not until I sit down that I realize that I made that sound. I look around the room and see everyone looking back at me with a confused look on their face. Even Shino looked at me with a puzzled expression at my outburst.

"What was that?" He asked in a whisper.

If possible, my face felt even warmer.

"Please, just don't ask." I say, ready to die of embarrassment.

Needless to say, the first day of school not much was learned. I was too busy dying of embarrassment. And Iruka-sensei was too lost in his thoughts to teach much of anything.

Chapter 4 end

A/N: Before you kill me, no, Iruka is not gonna be a jerk and I'm sorry for starting him out as one. In fact, Iruka will, like in canon, become one of Naruto's biggest supporters. Then again, canon did say that Iruka hated Naruto at first, albeit probably less openly. But yeah, if you couldn't tell the Aburame's are my favorite clan, with the Nara's a close second. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. In fact, if you leave a review, let's play a game. Name your favorite clan from Naruto and why. You don't have to, but it'll be fun.


End file.
